'cause learning is a riot.

Fall 2011 Classes

Anti-Colonial Reading Circle

Ran: October 2011 – January 2012

Canada is a colonial settler state. It occupies the lands of many Indigenous nations and perpetuates injustice, inequality and violence in its relations with the Original Peoples of this land. No matter who we are, we are affected by this reality in ways we may not even recognize. Settlers are beneficiaries of the injustices of colonialism, inhabiting stolen land and living off stolen resources. One of the consequences of that privilege is that the hardships, struggles, resilience and resistance of the oppressed becomes invisible, hard to see, hard to comprehend.

The goal of this group was to interrogate the history of colonialism in these territories and undermine Canada’s power to decide which histories are “real” for us. The purpose of the reading circle was three-fold: to give participants a better political-historical understanding of the colonial project; to challenge Eurocentric worldviews by exposing participants to struggles that confront the basis of “normal life” in Canada; and to introduce participants to perspectives of Indigenous thinkers, writers, and activists, and their allies.

French Conversation Group

Ran: November 2011 – January 2012

This conversation group existed for people with varying levels of French to attend, converse, and share language skills. There was no formal curriculum, but plenty of learning to be had in an informal café setting.

Linux and Free Software Literacy

Ran: October 2011 – January 2012.

The course was intended as an introduction to Linux, free software, and free culture. It is not an extensive course in the command line, systems administration or other specialized topics. Throughout the course, participants learned to use work with Ubuntu GNU/Linux on the desktop, developed skills in troubleshooting problems, researching solutions, and finding help effectively, explore unfamiliar software, and build some basic skills necessary for further exploration in the world of Linux and free/open source software (FLOSS).